ing this spirit
of emigration, determined to convince them, by their own experience, of
the danger and difficulties which attended it, the governor caused four
of the strongest and hardiest among them to be chosen by themselves, and
properly prepared for a journey of discovery. They were to be accompanied
by three men, upon whom the governor knew he could depend, and who were
to lead them back, when fatigued and exhausted with their journey, over
the very worst and most dangerous part of the country. This plan was no
sooner settled, than the governor received information on which he could
rely, that a party of these miscreants had concerted with the four
deputies to meet them at a certain place, where they were to murder the
persons intended to be their guides, possess themselves of their arms and
provisions, and then pursue their own route. This diabolical scheme was
counter-acted by the addition of four soldiers to the guides; and on the
14th they set off from Parramatta.

On the 24th the soldiers returned with three of the deputies, who, having
gained the foot of the first mountains, were so completely sick of their
journey, and of the prospect before them, that they requested to return
with the soldiers, whose mission here terminated, being ordered to leave
them at this place in the direction of the guides; one man only expressed
a resolution to persevere, and penetrate further into the country, and
was left with them for that purpose.

The history of these people might well be supposed to end here; but their
restless dispositions were not calculated to remain long in peace.

It will be seen, on recurring to the transactions of the month of October
last, that a boat belonging to a settler had been carried off in the
night, by some people who were supposed to have taken her out to sea,
where, from the weakness of the boat, they must soon have perished: but
they were now heard of again. Owen Cavanagh, a free man, had a boat which
he employed in transporting grain from the Hawkesbury to Sydney. On the
10th of this month, he informed the governor, that, a short time before,
his boat had been boarded in the night, off Mullett Island, by the very
people who had stolen the one from the settler, and carried her off, with
another containing fifty bushels of grain which some other person was
bringing to Sydney. One man, who had, against his wish, been concerned in
the first seizure, now left them, and returned with Cavanagh;